On April 21, the 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix kicked off at the Shanghai International Circuit. Red Bull Racing's Verstappen won the title, with McLaren's Norris and Red Bull Racing's Sergio Pérez second and third respectively. China's Zhou Guanyu made his home race for the first time and finished in 14th place.
After a long absence, the F1 Grand Prix returns to Shanghai, China, sparking a wave of fans watching the race. China's first F1 driver, Zhou Guanyu, returned to his hometown of Shanghai to compete at home, attracting fans to cheer on him. Among the many racing enthusiasts, there are many elite stars in different fields. Gu Ailing came to Shanghai to watch the main race of the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, and after the race, she posted a photo with Verstappen, Pérez, Zhou Guanyu and Yao Ming on social media, she wrote: "It's great to go back to Shanghai to watch F1. ”
Before the start of the race, the FIA and the F1 World Championship jointly confirmed that the Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu who was fighting at home would be given the highest courtesy after the race. In the race, if Zhou Guanyu finishes the race, he will be parked on the grid with the top three after crossing the finish line and receiving the cheers of the Chinese fans.
Playing at home is both motivation and pressure for Zhou. In the whole 56 laps of the race, accidents continued to occur, and the safety cars on the track continued to "go to work", and the organizing committee once dispatched a crane to deal with the accident vehicles. Zhou Guanyu's team-mate Bottas retired on lap 20 due to engine problems. Zhou Guanyu, as the only driver of the team who remained on the track, shouldered the heavy responsibility of finishing the race. The technicians of the Stake team of "home combat" played steadily in the pit area, and Zhou Guanyu returned to the pit station several times to change tires, and the tire changing technicians carried out their work smoothly under the watchful eyes of the fans on the spot, and there were no oolong incidents.
Ricciardo then withdrew, with Stoll given a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with Ricardo, Magnussen given a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with Yuki Tsunoda, and Sargent was given a 10-second penalty for violating the safety car. Red Bull's Verstappen held on to the lead and eventually won his fourth race of the season.
Alonso went from 12th to 7th in the race, with Hamilton overtaking him to finish ninth. Leclerc, Sainz and Russell were fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Zhou Guanyu finished in 14th place.
As Zhou crossed the finish line in his car, the crowd greeted him with the Chinese F1 driver's name. Zhou Guanyu circled the circuit to thank the crowd, then pulled over to the grid and came down to greet the fans. In the tsunami of the audience's tsunami, Zhou Guanyu hid his face and cried excitedly.
From the small car fan who held the ticket in 2004 to the driver who now holds the wheel of the F1 car and competes at the Shanghai International Circuit, Zhou Guanyu has overcome many difficulties and realized his original dream. "I'm very happy that everyone can come and support me and watch me play, I've been waiting for this day for 20 years. I'm going to do my best to show all my form and level of performance after that. Thank you. Thank you Shanghai. Zhou Guanyu said after the game. "Back in 2004, I saw the day of the first F1 race, because it was a day that made me go all the way and work hard for my F1 dream, despite fear and difficulties. I haven't been back to my home country for two years, and now I'm finally back at the Chinese Grand Prix, and I can finish it. Zhou Guanyu said.
Playing at home is both a boost and a pressure. Commenting on his performance, Zhou Guanyu said: "It was actually a tough race, the tyre grip was not ideal, and the car skipped badly at the beginning of the race, so I fell to the back of the line, but then I was able to gradually find my rhythm and catch up. I didn't have too many problems with my pit stops, and thanks to the hard work of the technicians, the pit stops went very smoothly and I was able to catch up again. For the 10 midstream drivers chasing a point, starting from 16th was indeed too late and unfortunately failed to score points. Zhou Guanyu said.
Talking about his tears after the game, Zhou Guanyu, who has always been emotionally stable, said that this is his true feelings. "In the last 10 years, I've cried twice, once to get a contract extension with the team, and once to compete in the F1 Chinese Grand Prix here. Zhou Guanyu said.
With the return of Formula 1 to China, more and more heads of Chinese car brands are taking the opportunity to communicate with F1 teams and seek cooperation opportunities. Zhou Guanyu said that he hopes to become a bridge for cooperation between Chinese and foreign automobile brands. "I cooperate with domestic car brands and hope to promote Chinese brands abroad. In the F1 world, there are not so many Chinese drivers and engineers at the moment. I hope there will be more Chinese engineers, technicians, and more Chinese faces in the F1 family. Zhou Guanyu said.
After the curtain call of the competition, Zhou Guanyu, who couldn't calm down for a long time, posted on Weibo to greet the home audience of the F1 Chinese Grand Prix. "I love you, I love the land, I love the track, I love every second of this weekend, thank you". This is Zhou Guanyu's first appearance in the F1 Chinese Grand Prix since becoming an F1 driver. It certainly won't be the last, he said. "It's my first time playing in Formula 1 China, but it won't be the last," Zhou said, "Trust me, I'll be back." ”
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Chu Peng
Editor/Xu Zhao